I've been a DIE HARD fangirl since the first ep. Let me put it this way: I've never thought to myself, "Hey, I'd like to get gangbanged!" This TVotR album is so GOOD it has me convinced that they should absolutely pull a train on me. GENIUS! But I expected that.

Agent Ribbons do get down there once in a while, mouse, so I'm sure you'll get to see 'em eventually. And what's really cool is that not only do they sell their own records, some of the CDs you can get at their shows come with handmade sleeves. Mine's got some fabric glued to paper they stitched together and a cute illustration of a monkey they colored and a button sticking out on one side. Their craftmanship ain't all that great, but it's cool they took the time to offer their fans these one-of-a-kind souvenirs.

Well, this isn't a new band by any stretch of the imagination, but I just saw X tonight and was thrilled to see they hadn't lost their mojo after all these years. I saw 'em in Davis, CA back in '85, literally half my lifetime ago. Only a handful of people showed up at that show and stood perfectly still while I was dancing all by my lonesome. Oh, and I remember one brave soul taking a chance on diving into the lackluster crowd from the stage. This time the club was jam-packed and literally hoppin' (and conveniently located just two blocks from where I live). I was lucky I didn't get thrown off my feet by the big-drunk-and-scary boys who were moshing in the middle of the floor. What a difference 23 years make! And to top it off, I got Billy Zoom to sign my CD when he walked out to kiss the girls after the show. I met John Doe some years ago at a Borders in-store (a story for another time), so I just need Exene and D.J. to make their mark and I'll be all set! Needless to say, I'm excited about X all over again!!

Glad you like Agent Ribbons, anna k. They recently flew to the U.K. to do a tour there but were refused entry into the country and ended up being banned by immigration officers for the next ten years! I don't know the whole story, but I felt so bad for them knowing how much they were looking forward to it. They certainly deserve to be better known outside of Sacramento.

BTW, I looked up Rachael Sage on Allmusic.com and thought she was quite promising, so I'll keep an eye open the next time I drop into one of our local independent record stores. Any particular CD that you'd like to recommend?

My favorite band-of-the-moment during the past year or so is Agent Ribbons, a pair of happenin' gals who hail from my hometown of Sacramento, CA. I've got a fairly sizeable crush on singer Natalie Gordon, and I've always thought of them as BUST-friendly, if there is such a thing. (I know they're not famous, but I'd love to see them on the cover of a future issue someday!) Drummer Lauren Hess tends to vanish onstage cause she's shy and all, but she's pretty darn cute too. Check 'em out here!

So cool! This may sound like a brag, but he came into the museum where I work a couple of weeks ago. I recognized him immediately, then when he talked to his friend his voice boomed out, sounding much like his singing voice. I didn't talk to him much, just took admission, but it was a cool surprise.

I heard Sax and Violins on the soundtrack to Until the End of the World, and really dug it. I also like the version of Burning Down the House in Stop Making Sense, it's more funkier and wilder than the album version.

In my dance class, the instructor picked Busta Rhymes' Don't Touch Me Now, and it is such a fantastic, funky, percussion-driven song. The routine we did was hard and rough and made me feel so strong and badass and cool.

I posted this a few days back in the 'what song is in your head' thread, but I thought I'd add it here...

I'm in a dreamy mood and currently grooving out to ethereal folkie Marissa Nadler... Mexican Summer (love love LOVE this video; absolutely gorgeous. I don't think it's an official video, as Marissa's a very independent artist and doesn't have a video director on her payroll, but it should be.) Here's another gorgeous song...Fifty Five Falls, which I usually tend to listen to when the weather starts to change. It hasn't started yet, but I think I'm ready for it to get a little colder.

I'm also grooving out to the new Stereolab album and can't wait to see them live in another few weeks. Yippee!

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I'm no model lady. A model's just an imitation of the real thing. -Mae West

This may sound nerdy, but Bruce Springsteen's Human Touch is one of the sexiest songs I've ever heard. It's the drive and the passion, the guitar solos, Bruce's wailing, and the desperate tenderness of it all.